Can I Know The Will Of God? Pt. 37 Trust Jehovah During Fiery Trials

Note: Please remember that there are Christmas lessons in the archive section of the blog. I pray that they will be a resource for family devotions and be reminding us all about what God did in order to save us from our sins.  

You will find 9 Christmas lessons titled "The True Story of Christmas" in the archives posted between December 16 and December 21, 2019.

Everyone experiences good times, tough times and mediocre times as we walk through this life. Most of us prefer "good times" but what about hard times, when we face a very challenging situation?

This post will show us God's will for enduring those hard times that we all will face at some point in life.

A right foundation of faith is trusting Jehovah. 

Psalm 11:1-3   In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2)  For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3)  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 

David wrote this Psalm sometime after Saul knew that David would become the next king of Israel. 

The books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles contain the details of Saul's multiple attempts to kill David. They also make it clear David was a faithful and loyal servant to Saul. As king, Saul was a ruthless aggressor and David an innocent target.

The beginning of this Psalm tells us what David's friends or counsellors advised him to do, in light of Saul's constant threats on his life. 

David begins where all believers must begin, when we face a hard problem. David recognized the problem, but expressed confidence that Jehovah would protect him and work it out for his good. 

We too, must recognize that our lives will be subjected to trials that test our faith and that our enemies will attack us. 

No matter what malicious things our enemies devise, or how many fiery darts of Satan are hurled at us, our beginning and continuing position is that we put our trust in Jehovah. He will protect us and work it out for the best according to His purposes.

David's advisors told him to flee to get as far away from Saul as he could, like a bird that flies swiftly when frightened. 

His counselors looked at the resources Saul committed to pursuing and killing David, and they expressed alarm at facing such an overwhelming force. 

David's advisors held an entirely human view of the situation they faced. They could only see that all protections for the righteous were being destroyed, as King Saul overthrew law and order. 

What else could they do but flee for their lives? Where else could they find temporary refuge except in the mountains and caves?  Most people might react in a similar fashion.

God is still on His throne and David's trust was placed firmly on the One who could help him face the crisis. 

David's faith reminds all believers that we have a God who loves and cares for us. He is our strong tower and place of refuge.

Jehovah is still enthroned, still ruling and still worthy of our trust.

Psalm 11:4  The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 

This text connects back to an earlier time in Israel's history, the time when Moses led them. 

Jehovah gave Moses a detailed pattern to build a tabernacle, where the priests administered all the sacrifices required by the law. The tabernacle was the designated place where Jehovah's glory appeared when He met with His people. 

During King Saul's reign, the tabernacle was set up in Nob. It was later moved to Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39) and stayed there until King Solomon moved it to the mountain where he built a lavish temple for Jehovah (1 Kings 8:4).

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 

Jehovah still remains in His holy temple within the majesty of heaven's glory. Jehovah is still seated upon His throne, still holding all of creation together by the Word of His power. 

God is so vast and omnipotent, all knowing and all present that He sustains all of creation by uttering a mere word. Therefore, He is completely worthy of our trust. 

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  

He is still governing the affairs of men and working all things out according to the good pleasure of His will. He is for every Christian and He will not let our enemies or our great adversary the Devil, defeat us.

Jehovah still sees the hearts of all men, and stands ready to judge all the evil and wicked, ready to avenge His faithful people. This is the truth David wants us to be anchored to. 

David's reply to those who urged him to flee, was a declaration of his faith in Jehovah. God is still to be sought and found in the place where He put his name. 

Saul later killed the faithful priests of Jehovah at Nob, because they helped David escape. Even though His priests were destroyed, the God whom they served still lives, and is to be found in His temple by those who trust Him. 

Jehovah tries the heart, emotions and minds of sinners and saints. Nothing can pass without His notice. In essence, David said "His present protection of me is assured and I will not flee unless He tells me to."

Jehovah will test our faith but He will destroy the wicked. 

Psalm 11:5-7  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6)  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7)  For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. 

Believers are often referred to as sheep in Jehovah's pasture. Jehovah never abandons any of His sheep. He does try or test us, to purge out dross and to purify us. In doing so, the trials of our faith temper us, just as heat tempers steel and makes it stronger. 

God uses trials to show us our level of faithfulness or to show us where things need to be changed. One thing is certain: when He afflicts us, it is for our good.

All the wicked are abhorred by Jehovah. He hates all violent men, destroyers and murderers.  

Just as fire and brimstone rained down from heaven to destroy the sexual perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, so will God in one day, swiftly destroy all the wicked. 

In that great day of Jehovah's judgment, the wicked will be filled with dismay, chaos, confusion and terror. 

David concludes by reminding all believers that Jehovah loves righteousness. When we choose to live according to His word, we live the life of blessing and walk in His holy way. This describes an upright man and God will take note of the upright man or woman. 

Our steps are ordered by our loving Father.

Psalm 37:23,24  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24)  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 

Our Father's will is that each child of God be tested and tried in this life, to prepare us for heaven. He orders our steps perfectly because He already knows all of our lives, from the beginning to the end. 

Our Father knows how to order our steps properly so that we can have the dross of sin purged out of our lives. 

Just as David expressed full trust in Jehovah, so the Palmist tells us that when we trust Him, we will delight in His way. 

God's cleansing provision for a believer who sins. 

1 John 1:5-10  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6)  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8)  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10)  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will stumble and fail God from time to time, but when we fall, we find that Jehovah holds us up with His almighty hand. He made a wonderful and gracious provision to cleanse believers who sin or fail Him. 

The apostle John makes it clear that a Christian can walk in the light and have fellowship with God. If we say we do not sin, then we are liars, for we will sin and fail God. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sins when we confess them to our Father and forsake them (Proverbs 28:13).

Our countenance will not be cast down, because we know our Father will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins. We know that our Father has made a gracious provision for believers who sin. 

Rejoice in the trials of our faith.

1 Peter 1:6-8  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8)  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

Peter reminds us that our walk of faith will involve being tested or tried by our Father. The word "trial" refers to using fire to separate impurities and inferior ore from gold, so that only the gold remains. 

Our sin is a black and dark blot that must be purged out. Our selfish attitudes are like the contaminants that must be burned off. Our lusts are like the dross that must be separated out and removed.

Gold represents our faith in Jesus Christ. Just as any gold mined from the earth contains gold mixed with other elements, so is our faith. Gold must be refined to remove impurities and leave behind the purest, most valuable ore. 

Gold can endure the refining process and not suffer any change to its properties. After refining, the gold reaches its purest state and the brightly gleaming color that we are familiar with. 

God is showing us with this analogy, that our faith is like freshly mined gold. We are descended from Adam and are tainted with his curse and bear his sin nature. 

Our "old man" tendencies, lusts and self centeredness must be purged out, so that the pure faith in Christ remains. 

Thus, all believers endure the trial of our faith in this life. Why? Because when we arrive in heaven, we will be given a new, glorified body that has no sin and no refining work will be needed. 

God's refining fire will do its purifying work in us unto the day He calls us home. Peter tells us our trials are precious in the sight of God because He knows it may cause pain but it works for good in our lives. 

Our Father's purpose in trying our faith is to make us ready for the return of Jesus Christ, so that we might experience praise, honor and glory when He appears. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Let us be like David, relying on our Father in heaven, when all human help fails and we see no viable solution.

Let us express our firm faith in Jehovah before those who are doubters and would advise us to run away from our troubles.

Let us remember, that our Father will judge the wicked and let us leave their fate in His perfect hands.

Let us remember that Jehovah will test our faith and that we may undergo fiery trials from time to time. God's purpose in this is good and best for us and we must simply trust and rely upon our Father when we are tried. 

May our Lord have His way in our hearts, so that each day we are more conformed to Christ than we were the previous day.

Bob